Maya Moore named Sports Illustrated's Performer of the Year

Minnesota Lynx star forward Maya Moore was named Sports Illustrated’s Performer of the Year after capturing her fourth WNBA Championship this season.

Down 2-1 in the WNBA Finals, Moore helped to lead the Lynx back to beat the Los Angeles Sparks. With the title on the line in Game 5, Moore scored 18 points and pulled 10 as the Lynx won their fourth title since 2011.

Moore, 28, was selected number one overall by the Lynx in the 2011 WNBA Draft. Since then, the records she’s achieved on the court are nothing short of spectacular. She’s a 4-time WNBA Champion, a 5-time WNBA All-Star, the 2013 WNBA Finals MVP, a 2-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP, and the 2011 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

But Moore says these accomplishments mean nothing without her faith in Jesus Christ.

“Faith is at the core of who I am, everything that I do, it comes from the perspective of: am I glorifying God and what my purpose is,” Moore told NBC Nightly News in 2012. “I think God has created me in a way that I have certain talents, I have certain gifts, and I have certain passions, and the more I try to develop those and live them out, I feel like I’m fulfilling my purpose. It’s bigger than just scoring a basket; it’s the impact I can make on somebody, the relationships I’ve built with my teammates and coaches.”

Moore says she’s grateful for the platform she’s been given and wants to do the Lord’s will in pointing others back to Him.

“I’m grateful to have had the platform of an elite student-athlete and professional basketball player,” Moore said in an Athletes in Action article. “And I want to do His will with my life. He’s put me on great teams with great people. God has used me in ways I don’t even know, and I’m still learning how God wants to use me now.

For more on Maya’s faith journey, click below to read our profile on her from January 2014.

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